The magical singer Väinämöinen, the master blacksmith Ilmarinen, and the light-footed Lemminkäinen: their deeds and fates live on in this complete retelling of the Kalevala, which captures the charm and richness of the verses of the Finnish original in clear, rhythmically engaging prose. In times when people did not yet have the written word, songs served as their oral memory. A later collector of such ancient songs from the Finnish region was Elias Lönnrot (1802 - 1884). He compiled them into a continuous narrative and named this great song Kalevala, meaning the land where the sons of the primordial father Kaleva live. Myths of world creation, shamanic arts, wedding songs and customs, tales of nature spirits, legends of daring heroes, and practical everyday life intertwine in the adventurous world of the Kalevala.